Reviewed for THC ReviewsIndian Maidens Bust Loose is a chick-lit story told Indian style. It is a hilarious romp through Indian culture as a young, twReviewed for THC ReviewsIndian Maidens Bust Loose is a chick-lit story told Indian style. It is a hilarious romp through Indian culture as a young, twenty-something woman gradually finds the courage to break free from her parents' old-school ways and live her own life. I learned a great deal about India and the culture there, and many of the things I discovered made me extremely grateful to live in America. This book is riotously funny, but woven throughout the humorous moments, the author managed to showcase the stark reality of the inequality which Indian women face on a daily basis. I can scarce imagine what it must be like to be pressured or even forced into an arranged marriage with someone you don't like much less love. Not to mention, not being allowed to take the job you want in spite of being highly educated and well qualified for it. And it's not just the women who face inequality, but the lower classes and orphans on the street. It was very inspiring to see the female characters in the story banding together to build a better life for themselves, but it's all done in a fun, light-hearted way.

Nisha is the first-person narrator of the story. She's a college graduate who wants to become a journalist. Her father won't allow it though, because the job might entail her working late hours, and a woman being out after a certain time of night is considered a big no-no. She and her sister, Vinita, also have to endure an endless parade of suitors, and their father seems to keep picking all the worst ones he can find. Nisha is a romantic at heart. She loves to read, mostly romance novels. There is a part of her that desperately wants to experience the kind of love and romance she reads about, but the other part of her is a realist, knowing the best she can probably hope for is finding a man who isn't from the bottom of the barrel where her father seems to be looking. Mostly, Nisha is the normal one in a family of wacky people, and is just trying to navigate through all the waves they've set in motion to find a place for herself in the world where she can feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging.

Indian Maidens Bust Loose had tons of uproarious moments. It could have been subtitled “Misadventures in Arranged Marriages” or “How Many Ways Can My American Cousins Ruin My Reputation.” The suitor meeting with the two brothers that ended in a family feud was hysterical. The things that happen to their poor little car were utterly zany. Nisha's father is a penny-pinching miser, so much so that he tried to haggle with the police like he would a street vendor over the cost of his daughters' bail. But I think the most priceless thing of all was the “magical” cow that her fathered turned into a money-making operation when he became convinced that it was the reincarnation of an Indian deity. This story would certainly make a riotous romantic comedy movie that I'd eagerly pay to see. I spent the majority of the time reading this book with a grin on my face, if not outright laughing, sometimes hard enough to produce tears of mirth.

Vidya Samson is a talented author who drew me in right from the start and kept me coming back with moments like those I mentioned above, as well as plenty of family drama. She masterfully combines heart-warming moments with hilarity and deftly weaves multiple plot points and characters together, bringing all of them full-circle by the end, with a few unexpected twists thrown in for good measure. Not a single event in the book is mere filler or wasted space. Everything has a purpose that is eventually revealed. I have no idea if Ms. Samson intends to write any more for Nisha or not. It seems like there could be the potential for more story, and if she did write it, I'd gladly read it. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to checking out her other works.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more

Reviewed for THC ReviewsChocolate Therapy was another fun read in Abby Irish's “Chocolate” series. Readers get to follow along with protagonist, Amy KReviewed for THC ReviewsChocolate Therapy was another fun read in Abby Irish's “Chocolate” series. Readers get to follow along with protagonist, Amy Kayden, through more of the ups and downs in her sometimes zany life. Amy is also the first-person narrator of the story and she does so in a breezy, conversational way, actually talking directly to the reader on occasion which is a rather unique, amusing element. For some reason, the book seemed to start off a little slow. Maybe that was partly because Amy's boyfriend, Joel, who is a big draw for me and a great balancer for Amy's wackiness wasn't there for the first few chapters. Whatever the reason, I gradually started getting into it more and more, and eventually, things were going at a pretty good clip as events in Amy's life run the gamut from absurd (being run over by a motorized shopping cart driven by her nemesis) to surprising (a daughter she didn't even know had a boyfriend announcing she's getting married in mere weeks) and emotional (the passing of one of her dear pooches) to romantic (Amy trying to surprise Joel with a cruise but the surprise ends up being on her). It all came together to make me run the emotional gamut too, from chuckling at Amy's antics to shedding a few tears over Jerry's passing.

It was nice to see that Amy hasn't changed a bit. She's still her crazy self and sometimes her life reminds me of an episode of I Love Lucy, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I don't think anyone but Amy (and Lucy of course;-)) could get themselves into so much trouble. Amy is as klutzy as ever, a bit neurotic, cooking-challenged, and obsessed with chocolate, but she is also a woman with a big heart who loves her family passionately, and that family includes her dogs and of course, Joel. In this “chapter” of her life, she must deal with upheavals in her daughters' lives, as I mentioned earlier, the death of one of her “boys,” and helping Joel to integrate into this “three-ring circus.” Amy is a great mom who is always there for her kids, supporting their decisions the best way she knows how which was something I could relate to. Amy is a woman who always seems to be running around like a chicken with her head cut off, but whatever she does, it's always with the best intentions at heart.

I had totally fallen for Joel in the first book, There's Always Chocolate!. After reading that book, I had characterized him as a prince among men, and I still stand by that assessment. Much like Amy's first husband, Joel works a lot, but where they differ is that Joel always seems to find time for fun, games and just to be with Amy. He is also very kind, loving and patient. Now that's not to say perfect, because he did have one foible in Chocolate Therapy when he up and left for a week after the long-time bachelor side of him couldn't quite figure out how he fit into Amy's family. I appreciated though that he didn't try to make any excuses for his behavior and came around fairly quickly, and throughout it all, his feelings for Amy never changed one bit. I loved that he was not only willing, but actually eager, to marry Amy even after having been through two failed marriages. He simply never lost faith in the idea that they had been meant for each other since they were kids. It just took them thirty-some odd years to realize it.

With it's lighthearted, breezy and sometimes downright funny take on the life of a fifty-ish widow, Chocolate Therapy reads much like chick-lit for a slightly older generation. It shows that there definitely can be life after loosing a spouse and that one can still find an HEA even in the “middle ages.” Overall, I enjoyed reading this follow-up to There's Always Chocolate!. The only minor complaint I have is that it could have used a few more contractions. The way it was mostly written with the words spelled out, especially in dialog, made it seem too formal and stilted, but otherwise, this was a well-written book. I would recommend Chocolate Therapy to anyone who enjoys a good slap-sticky, romantic comedy that focuses equal parts on the romantic relationship and family relationships. I don't know if there will be any more forthcoming for Amy and Joel, but if there is, I would be happy to read more about them or see what other zany stories Abby Irish comes up with next.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more

I recently had the opportunity to meet Abby Irish at a big author book-signing event at a local festival. She generously offered me a review copy of hI recently had the opportunity to meet Abby Irish at a big author book-signing event at a local festival. She generously offered me a review copy of her debut novel, There's Always Chocolate! right there on the spot. We discussed the book which she characterized as romantic comedy. That certainly makes sense, because in some ways it reminded me of some comedy movies I've seen. After reading it though, I think that the book would be better served with a designation of chick-lit and that fans of the genre would probably enjoy it. My primary reasoning for this is that the main focus of the story is not on the romance but on a single female protagonist and her journey through the year following her husband's death with a close-knit group of family and friends by her side. Granted most chick-lit is about 20-30-something single women, and although Amy's exact age isn't given, I could surmise in context that she must be at least in her mid to late forties. However, there is an excellent definition of chick-lit on Wikipedia which informed me of a sub-genre known as widow lit, which in my opinion, fits There's Always Chocolate! perfectly. Now that my OCD self has the book categorized to my satisfaction, on with the review.;-)

Amy Kayden is the first person narrator of There's Always Chocolate!. As the book begins, she is newly widowed after a 25-year marriage. She is the mother of four children in their late teens to early twenties, and trying to figure out what to do with her life now that she's single again. Amy can be pretty quirky and a bit neurotic at times. She talks to herself (or her dogs) frequently, is afraid of the dark and thunderstorms, and calls 911 almost at the drop of a hat, but to rather amusing effect. She has a thing for red wine, pink roses, scented candles, and of course, chocolate. Amy's life in general can get a little chaotic, and she certainly has a penchant for getting herself into some sticky situations. The police, fire department and home security company all wound up at her house at one point or another, and they all seem to know her by name. Amy is quite clumsy and extremely cooking-challenged, which I could definitely relate to. My own lack of grace is a source of amusement for my husband, and although I've only tried to set the house on fire once while cooking (hey, it wasn't technically my fault ;-)), I do regularly burn dinner, much to his chagrin, mainly because I get easily distracted just like Amy. I could also relate to her trying to be a good mother to her kids even though they're grown and don't live with her anymore, her not really knowing what to do with her life after her husband's death, and deep down not really wanting to be alone. I think Amy embodies a lot of characteristics that are common in many women and therefore would resonate with a wide variety of female readers from different walks of life and with different personalities.

It seemed that there were three potential suitors for Amy, Joe, David, and Joel, who made me think of the Three Bears, except that I would call them “Too Grumpy,” “Too Needy,” and “Just Right.” Amy “accidentally” had Joe arrested which understandably made him irritable. For some odd reason, Joe started to resemble the paperboy from Better Off Dead in my mind. I think this is because he kept popping up in the strangest places and subtly demanding satisfaction. The way he and Amy started trying to one-up each other every time they met, was perhaps a little mean-spirited but at the same time quite amusing. There was also David, a guy Amy had dated once in high school, who was now a widower, but he was rather wishy-washy about whether he was truly ready for a new relationship. Then there was Joel, an absolute prince among men. Heaven forbid that anything should happen to my dear husband for many, many years to come, but if it did, I'd love to have a Joel in my life. I adored the fact that he still knew Amy's favorite things after so many years, and the way he always called her M'lady was utterly charming. I'm a huge fan of reunion and friends-to-lovers romances, so having Joel and Amy be childhood friends was wonderful for me. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like the idea of Joel having been married twice before, but the author made me quickly forget about that, by turning him into one of the most romantic guys ever, who had never truly stopped loving Amy all those years. Also, she makes that all-important (for me) distinction between Joel and Amy as a couple and each of their past relationships with others.

There's Always Chocolate! is a good book that is written with lots of humor, sometimes slap-sticky and other times a bit snarky, that frequently had me smiling. The author slips back and forth between present and past tense, which is a style I've never really read before. I think I understand what she was doing though, because it was Amy's immediate thoughts that seemed to be in present tense, while her narrative of what was going on around her or her descriptions of the other people and events in her life that were in past tense. Still, it was a little distracting to read, and I couldn't help but wonder if it might have flowed better if everything had stayed in one tense, or if there had been some other differentiation between Amy's narration of the story and her more personal thoughts. The general sentence structure could have benefited from more richness in form and composition, as some of them were a little to brief and simplistic for my taste. There were also quite a few typos, as well as incorrect or missing words, that could have been avoided with better editing. There's Always Chocolate! is the first “chick-lit” book that I've read. I can't say that I've ever been drawn to the genre as a whole, probably because I prefer different character perspectives in my stories, and chick-lit has always seemed rather one-sided to me. I do try to maintain an open-mindedness though and enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone from time to time to try something new. There's Always Chocolate! may not have made me an instant fan of chick-lit but it was a pretty enjoyable read that I think true followers of the genre would really appreciate. In my opinion, Abby Irish is a promising new author, and I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with in the future....more